Napalm Death

Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. The band currently consists of Barney Greenway on vocals, Shane Embury on bass guitar, John Cooke on lead guitar and Danny Herrera on drums. None of the founding band members remain in the band. From 1989 to 2004, Napalm Death were a five-piece band after they added Jesse Pintado and Mitch Harris as replacements for guitarist Bill Steer. Following Pintado's departure, the band reverted to a four-piece. Mitch Harris left the band in 2014 to focus on his personal life. Since Mitch's indefinite hiatus, guitarist John Cooke can be seen on guitar during live shows.

The band is credited as pioneers of the grindcore genre by incorporating elements of crust punk and death metal, using a noise-filled sound that uses distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdrive bass, high-speed tempo, blast beats, vocals that consist of incomprehensible growls or high-pitched shrieks, extremely short songs, and sociopolitical lyrics. After hiring drummer Mick Harris in 1985, the band gained immense speed and started pushing the limits of how fast drums can be played. The band's debut album Scum, released in 1987 by Earache Records, proved substantially influential throughout the global metal and punk communities. By their third album Harmony Corruption (1990), the band shifted to death metal and began writing longer and more complex songs. In 1991, the other members of Napalm Death fired Mick Harris due to him not being able to play as fast and personality differences. Mick Harris is often seen as the popularizer of the blast beat.